Nairobi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments to urgently ban all flavours in cigarettes, pouches, hookahs, and e-cigarettes to protect youth from addiction and diseases.
According to Kenya News Agency, flavours in tobacco and nicotine products have not only made it harder to quit but also have been linked to serious lung diseases. 'Flavours like menthol, bubble gum, and cotton candy are masking the harshness of tobacco and nicotine products, turning toxic products into youth-friendly bait,' WHO says.
In a press statement, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, emphasized that flavours are fuelling a new wave of addiction and should be banned. 'They undermine decades of progress in tobacco control. Without bold action, the global tobacco epidemic, already killing around 8 million people each year, will continue to be driven by addiction dressed up with appealing flavours,' he noted.
The call comes a day ahead of World No Tobacco Day, marked on May 31st, 2025. WHO has launched a new publication titled 'Flavours Accessories in Tobacco Products Enhance Attractiveness and Appeal,' highlighting how flavours and accessories like capsule filters and click-on drops are marketed to bypass regulations and hook new users. Countries such as Belgium, Denmark, and Lithuania are taking action, and WHO is urging others to follow suit.
The publication further states that flavours paired with flashy packaging and social media-driven marketing are a leading reason why young people try tobacco and nicotine products. It adds that tobacco-dealing companies have increased the appeal of nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, and disposable vapes into addictive and harmful products, aggressively targeting young people.
Dr. Rdiger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion, remarked, 'We are watching a generation get hooked on nicotine through gummy bear-flavoured pouches and rainbow-coloured vapes. This is not innovation but manipulation and therefore must be stopped.'
The 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign honours governments, youth activists, and civil society leaders pushing back against industry interference. 'Your actions are changing policy and saving lives,' said Dr. Krech. With around 8,000,000 tobacco-related deaths each year, the time for action is now. Flavours, and the industries that deploy them, have no place in a healthy future.
This initiative aligns with the recent statement by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Health (MoH), Aden Duale, calling for sustained vigilance in combating tobacco and curbing harmful industry practices. Affirming its commitment to a tobacco-free future, the CS emphasized the need for vigilance against evolving and deceptive tactics, especially those targeting young people. 'The health of our future generations depends on our ability to expose and counter the tobacco industry's predatory strategies,' Duale said.
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2025 is running under the theme 'Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products'. The theme focuses attention on the manipulative strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industry, which include the use of flavoured products, attractive packaging, and the intensification of digital marketing campaigns-all of which are designed to appeal to youth.
According to the CS, the government has been working towards evidence-based policies, heightened community engagement, and strong inter-agency coordination by uniting to unmask and dismantle the manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry, especially those that prey on our youth. In Kenya, a significant percentage of youth use tobacco. A 2022 survey indicated that one in every 17 youths aged 25-35 (488,845) use tobacco. Studies also reveal that a substantial portion of students, including secondary school students, have used tobacco at some point. The surveys reveal that 15 per cent of Kenyan students currently use any form of tobacco, 8.2 per cent smoke cigarettes, and one in 10 use other forms of tobacco.